Thinking of switching from iPhone to BlackBerry 10? Here's what you need to know

So you are thinking of making the jump from iPhone to BlackBerry. When you look at them side by side, the two really aren't that different. Unlike Android devices which offer a huge range of hardware/software and can be a big change to BlackBerry, iPhone and BlackBerry are both similar in numerous ways.

While you may not be sure if you're quite ready to make the change, we can help clear things up a bit and let you know what to expect should you choose to switch. Keep reading to see just what BlackBerry 10 has to offer.

A LOOK AT BLACKBERRY FOR IPHONE OWNERS

EMAIL, CALENDAR & CONTACTS

iOS and BlackBerry share many similarities when it comes to email, calendar and contacts - the one exception being iCloud. In most cases if you use Gmail, Outlook.com, Yahoo! or a similar email, you will have no issue setting up your accounts on BlackBerry 10. If you are currently and iCloud user however, you'll have to dig a bit deeper to get your current accounts set up on BlackBerry 10. While you can easily setup your iCloud email on BlackBerry using IMAP, your contacts and calendars may not be as simple. For those you would need to use Gmail (or something similar) and export your iCloud data, then import it into a new Gmail account. From there, you can then easily add these to your BlackBerry 10 device. Ultimately you would need to pull away from iCloud and use another service for your personal data instead.

APPS AND GAMES

While iOS has iTunes and the App Store, BlackBerry has BlackBerry World. Both offer up a large selection of apps, games, music and movies. Where BlackBerry might let you down is in the "big name" app category. Being such a new platform, you won't find some bigger-name apps you may be looking for after your switch. BlackBerry 10 has basic apps like Twitter, Facebook and foursquare built-in with apps like Skype and Whatsapp on the way. EA, Gameloft, and Halfbrick have already dedicated themselves to platform, and a few popular games like World of Goo and Angry Birds Star Wars are already available. There is Dropbox, Box and Evernote integration, but no official "apps" just yet - just baked-in BB10 integration. Holdouts like Instagram have yet to become available for BlackBerry. The good news is that you can sideload a large number of Android applications and they'll work fine on BlackBerry 10. It gives you a bit of a customization and allows you to use apps that aren't available in BlackBerry World. We have great tutorials on sideloading both from a Windows PC or Mac.

The movie and music selection in BlackBerry World should be enough to keep most media-hungry users satisfied as well.

NOTIFICATIONS

BlackBerry 10 features the Hub - a central inbox for all of your incoming e-mails, SMS, BBM (BlackBerry Messenger), Facebook & Twitter messages and more. While iOS has a pull-down notification tray, with BlackBerry 10, you can read and reply to all of these alerts right from the Hub. Meaning you don't have to go into different apps to reply to notifications such as e-mail or SMS. So essentially you aren't losing anything here, just trading off your current notifications for the Hub instead.

Also, there are no pop-up notifications like on iOS. So if you receive an SMS or email, you unfortunately don't have the option for a pop-up notification that turns on the screen. Rather you have to rely on an alert (audible or vibrate) and the LED instead.

STANDARDIZATION

Much like iPhone, BlackBerry offers limited devices with one standard OS. As an iPhone user you are accustomed to using one OS without the ability to change it up at all. The same goes for BlackBerry 10. Unlike the old BBOS where you could pick and choose from a multitude of OS versions, BB10 simply offers up one version of the OS per device and that's that - so you won't have to worry about finding the best one or flashing ROMs like Android users.

Your precious Home button won't be found on BlackBerry either - in fact - you won't find any navigation buttons at all. The BlackBerry Z10 is gesture based, so it's all in the swiping to navigate the OS.

As far as customizing goes, on BlackBerry you can also change up your wallpaper, move around icons and create folders. There are no themes or deeper customization here, so the setup is greatly like that of your iPhone.

For connecting to your PC or Mac, you can also utilize BlackBerry Link. The software lets you sync up music, movies, photos and documents as well as backup and restore your device.

You don't have much to lose when it comes to switching from iPhone to BlackBerry. You're already locked in to a small set of devices without the ability to go nuts changing up the OS. While you may be longing for some apps that you loved on iOS, you always have the option to see out their Android counterpart and sideload them to your BlackBerry 10 device.

I thought that the hub concept was compelling on paper but in practice its not for me.

The whole concept of the UI seems to add steps to get things done...i dont know why they went with on the move campaign because I didnt find it fast and more efficient.

BTW my friend that has had it since launch wishes he could trade it for an iPhone but his company wont let him. He said he and a lot of people were excited for this phone but now that the novelty has worn off they find it frustrating to use. Some people are thinking of going back to their 9900's.

I guess if your a monkey you would go back to the IPhone you have to have a few smarts to operate and once your item. Your hooked but if you're below the average iq you might want to stick to the IPhone

Umm, not to be mean, but, is it safe to assume you have an iPhone? Spelling, comma/period placement (and/or lack of), grammar...("if your a monkey", should be "you're" since you meant "if you are a monkey", and same with "your hooked"...should be "you're hooked" as in 'you are hooked'). Does anyone take a clear moment anymore to proofread what they've typed before hitting send?? No offense bugster421. Our wonderful modern age, with the birth of emails, eliminated a much needed secretarial pool that ensured correspondence amongst business professionals sounded, well, professional. And educated. Just sayin'. (I also suggest not giving out your I.Q., safer to keep that to yourself) My apologies for making you an example, no harm meant, hope you can laugh it off.

The problem, Susie is that most people don't know that 'your' doesn't mean 'you are' any longer. I see it in the press, in memos from CEOs and SVPs at my company, books and magazines, and, of course, all over the web. Just read some forums on any website and you'll be thoroughly disgusted and convinced that the English language (or, at least, English grammar) is dead as we knew it. If you try to correct someone they get defensive and say that it was a typo. LOL

I agree, I see it in the press and numerous written text in publications, and all I can think is "Really? Who are the English/Journalism majors that are managing/proofreading the work?"

Basically, the English language changes due to ignorance. Slang becomes popular, then acceptable, and then definitions become expanded. Words like gay, and cool are simple examples.

I'm always amazed at how British children sound more proper when they speak than most people in America.
It's a losing battle but I do wonder if the majority of teachers are just happy, regardless of "typos", that their students put pen to paper (or keyboard to screen? lol).

Are we actually raising a society of technically advanced intelligent idiots??

It (the Verge) gives the Z10 a 7 of 10 only really docking it points for its battery life and not having a huge selection of apps just yet. The apps will be fixed (temp you can sideload your particular missing apps until the native ones are out), so really you are only looking at the battery life as a possible issue.

For me, 10 hours should fine and after being so use to the gestures of the PlayBook, the phone should be pretty easy to use. I actually find myself doing gestures on my crappy Android phone.

I should again note that I am in the US currently, so I don't have and haven't used the Z10 yet. I am only going by different reviews.

Anyone that invested money from buying iphone 4 to the iphone 5 have likely purchase music, apps, accessories - docks, cables and other stuff from apple. that's reason in itself to not switch.

all this other reason like battery, BB10 itself and its gesture based are non issue but these people will not blindly switch and pay for the same music, apps and accessories, some may those who can afford it but that's a small number of people.

Apple customers and call them whatever you want - sheeps and etc. they're the most loyal group when it comes to any idevices and to the brand. it's going to take some monumental fuck up from apple for them to leave. Apple itself is considered a luxury brand and people like having luxury items.

What was the point of writing that if you don't even say why you don't like it.

Sounds to me that you didn't actually play with Z10 for an hour today. I don't care if you like the Z10 or not, just try it first and if you still feel the need to tell the world your opinion, explain the reasons for it.

What a biased article!
The Hub, Peak & Flow blow the others out of the water.
I use one hand and one finger to do everything with ease.

There are so many superior qualities that the Z10 offers over all other phones.
Most Secure Phone, Dual Profiles, larger 4.2" much more usable display, best predictive keyboard,
NFC chip to take advantage of secure trending mobile payments, great time lapse camera feature,
micro kernel OS BB10 (all the rest monolithic) and can run Android Apps, Fastest Internet Browser of any platform, true multi tasking with active frames (fantastic!), microSD slot expandable to 64GB, HDMI Port,
and I could go on and on!

That is why the German Gov has ordered 40,000 Z10's and not ONE iPhone!

New BB10 Apps coming out every day!

Was at a party on Friday and all "i" users could not believe the speed and features of the Z10.
It was the first time that I felt really PROUD to display my Blackberry, YES my Z10!
Great to be able to finally show the "i" people that it is GAME OVER!
Some of them were so stunned they could hardly speak.....Lol Lol Lol!!!!!
What a great night it was!

Hey Adam, great write-up! Just a thought: you might want to touch on the fact that existing media (movies and music) bought from iTunes can be imported through the Lync software (or by drag-and-drop to the mounted drive). Some folks may have a lot invested in music and movies and will want to know if they will play. I haven't actually tried it yet but I"m pretty sure it will work, right?

This is a big deal for me. A few months ago I bought apple TV and now have been buying all my movies through iTunes. Good to know I don't lose it if I chose to start over with another company like BlackBerry.

BS. The q10 isn't hitting the US until June. A FIVE MONTH delay from a New York launch event until availability is outrageous and all on BB, not the carriers. These huge delays are also the opposite of what Heins had been saying right up until Jan. 30.

The US happens to be the biggest market by far and Heins is on record multiple times saying how important the US is to Blackberry's future. Blackberry is no stranger to the US market and knows damn well how the carriers work. They couldn't provide what they needed in time for a proper launch (many sources, including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal clame BB didn't get the final hardware to US carriers until a couple of weeks before the launch event). So yes, let's keep things accurate and stop being blind Blackberry apologists...

Oh right, the same NYT that reworded Thorstens comments about the consumer market and how BlackBerry was getting out of it? Totally NOT what was said.
We know that Verizon had the hardware for testing back in December. Why the delay? Why does it take some of the biggest carriers in the world a few extra months of testing. Remember, those are the words from the carriers, they said they need the time to test more.....why?
That's somehow on BlackBerry?

Yes the same media source claiming BlackBerry's demise. USA Carriers are to blame. RIM shipped the hardware at the same time to Everybody. US carriers were sitting around and Twiddling there thumbs while everyone else were testing the Z10's.

US carriers are Apple worshipers. I will not be surprised if this has something to do with iPhone stock and Apple arm twisting these carriers. Sprint is not even offering Z10, I think mainly because they have already invested so much in iPhone. In any case, US is not going to be the main market for Blackberry going forward. Blackberry should focus more on other markets where it has good brand image.

You are STILL wrong! Nokia/BlackBerry losing market share in America meant just that - smaller percentage IN AMERICA. Both are still huge around the world! How do you think BlackBerry avoided the Palm situation and still has tons of funds in the bank?

Looking at cell phones, they are really only on the brink/ in trouble with the US market and maybe Canada (I don't know, but seems many people I know there are choosing iPhones).

They are still going strong around the world, and money is money. It isn't like their is only 1 or 2 currencies and all the other are worthless monopoly money (even if their currency look as if they are monopoly money... or use funny names like "toonie" :P ).

they have over 2.7 billion from last quarter. Get your FACTS straight.

Nokia has well over 5B, guess what their product and association to Windows Phone isn't getting them any significant increase in market share. That's another FACT.

So if Nokia/MS tie up is not exactly working out or yet. How do you think BB would do on its own?

With the pending releases of S4, HTC One and iPhone 5s - BB has their work cut out for them.

Even Amazon can't swing the needle on the tablet side and they're giving that away in the US. I believe they well over 10s of billions in the bank?

This is more than hardware folks, this is a fight of ecosystems and blackberry doesn't have one that's currently relevant.

I wish BB well and I've been a customer since 2000 but in my own assessment it's going to take a more than hardwork to sustain any growth or net new customers in significant droves for them to be relevant in the market place.

The US market was BlackBerry's biggest customer, no question about that, which is why it looked like they lost market share in 5 quarters quickly. That said, RIM was never in as much trouble as everybody was claiming, though without a new platform they would have totally lost most of North America, and would only appeal to less rich countries by selling cheap BB7's.

I don't think RIM would have filed for Chapter 11, they would have just catered to a nitch market requiring superior security.

Anyhow, BlackBerry is back with a big 10 and they are here to take back market share, targeting Apple's iPhone 1st then going after Android 2nd. BlackBerry has a mobile platform that can launch this industry to the next level, something both Apple's iOS and Google's ANdroid "GREATLY LACK".

still you need China money to survive and pay your bills..if that is the center of the world, the Earth is doomed.
You think like Apple computer fan they think they dominate the world with 5% share..lol

I believe the Q10 is slated to come out in June and the Z10 is slated for March. The delays are indeed due to the carriers, whether it be because they aren't done testing or because of contractual agreements is unclear.

Let's be honest, it's the carriers issue... Why else do you think that the UK and Canada can get the phones quick. Don't put this on BlackBerry... this is all the carriers!! So stop your moaning already!!

Are you implying that every other country is releasing phones that don't exist yet? It's the exact same phone. Which means that the product exists and is available to carriers. If the carriers don't release them at that point, it's entirely on them...

It hasn't been a wide release. Does Germany have it? South America, Australia, Italy, Korea, etc.? BB might not be able to produce enough for a simultaneous UK, Canada and US release and need months to build inventory. The "carrier" excuse is getting old. BB is no stranger to how this works.

The carrier excuse is NOT getting old. The traditional carriers are definitely up to something here. If Solavei (www.solavei.com) can offer the Z10 on a $49 a month non-contract plan right now, and have been since January 31st if you can afford to buy the phone for $1,000, then why can't AT&T and the rest do it now on contract? You can't blame Blackberry for this.

The stupidity of your comment is that it is very likely the carriers that have not launched the product - not the fact that Blackberry hasnt offered up any inventory. You cant have a phone in a country where the carriers arent supporting it.

You do realize that the US carriers are more than likely holding out on BB10 because they are trying to screw blackberry cause the iphone 5s and galaxy s4 will be launching around the same time.

And this isn't a blackberry apologist, this is someone who is smart enough to know this is because it's clear that here in Canada and the UK and uae we have phones available, so it's on the carriers... they don't want to be on board. Now go away.

And FYI Verizon announced back in December they were testing already, not just a rumor

BB probably doesn't have the inventory for a simultaneous UK, Canada and US release and need months to produce inventory. The other markets releasing since are very small. And to say the carriers are screwing BB because of the iPhone, etc. is naive and absurd.

So you claim to have some insight into the inventory of a smartphone worldwide yet find it impossible that carriers would give preferential treatment to one company over another? You are naive and absurd.

I think its a combination of the two but this isn't blackberrys first rodeo. They have done carrier testing for years either saying you didn't know or pushing it to the carriers os a copout if you know it takes the US longer than get it to them first. They are costing themselves money but maybe as important they are costing themselves good will. They had no issue saying January 30th is launch day. Do you think it was just blind luck that the phones were ready the day after? Nope. Something was rushed here...not necessarily delayed. Either they rushed to announce the launch or they rushed the date of the launch. I get it they need to sell phones and fast but the wait isn't creating buzz its creating disdain for us customers and making bb10 launch a forgotten event.

Tmobile is the only carrier we have heard that has leaked a date 3/27 who knows if the others have same timeline slower timeline quicker timeline no one knows. I cannot believe it take 12-16 weeks for a phone to go thru testing. And if it does and bbry would know then what a mis-step announcing a launch date for the phones but not having us ready to go. Especially where an even is held in NYC. They would have been better off going to Toronto then the UK then UAE etc etc. At least then they have something to look forward too. Bb fans looked forward to the even and then left pissed. Not smart.

It seems very unlikely that Apple or Samsung would be afraid of Blackberry and work behind the scenes to delay their launch. I think the most likely scenario for a Europe first launch was Europe is where their biggest chance of success would be. Sort of like a boxer not fighting Mike Tyson for his first fight. Blackberry has a tough uphill road in the US. Better to get some successes under your belt to start the journey.

"The UK and Canada getting them first doesn't automatically implicate the carriers" Really? How did you come to that conclusion? Heins has said on multiple occasions that US carriers are taking time to do the testing. US carriers are not saying anything, Why? Because they are responsible for the delay.

Do you honestly think that the average smartphone buyer walks into a wireless store and blames the carrier that devices have not been released? Jeez. So a casual buyer sees the hype in NYC about the launch and heads over to Verizon, only to be told no device until late March. My bet is he/she leaves with and Android or Apple device and isn't blaming Verizon. THAT'S REALITY.

US carriers are at fault. This has been reported over and over again. But of course BlackBerry gets the blame for it. Just like some of the power outages, who gets blamed? BlackBerry despite the fact they had nothing to do with most of them.

I agree with you the Q10 release date is on BB, but they always said "a few months after the Z10". So blaming them on this regard is just being silly. The Z10 release date is on the carriers - they had every chance to release the very same day as in the UK.

Look, you tried to peddle this story last week but it didn't work. Perhaps instead of yelling at everyone, you should sit down and calmly rationalize the situation. First, it is quite clear from the statements of BB, ATT and Verizon, that the devices were to the carriers prior to Christmas. So stop with the nonsense. The real question is why the delay to the US market. I think it comes down to a marketing decision on behalf of BB and the carriers. They are building up momentum in world markets prior to launch in the US. Sort of make senses given that BB has limited brand appeal in the US. The next question is whether such a strategy will work. I think the answer is yes as you are clearly annoyed by the fact that you can't replace your iPhone with a Z10. I suggest that you either buy a Z10 from one of the smaller US carriers or come to Canada.

If you think this is deliberate marketing you're really naive. Ever heard of the HTC M7 (or ONE now)? How about Mobile World Congress? It's this little show... Or maybe you've heard about the Galaxy S4. All will happen BEFORE the US release. Now that's what I call effective marketing Jack...

You're just showing that blackberry fans can be just as sheepish as any other. The article basically says that Blackberrys and iphones are almost identical. You won't have to make many changes, you won't even have to think. And here you are, acting as if going with one or the other very similar choices means one consumer is better than the other.

BBZ10, its a phone, an information hub, a media server,a wireless Lan mouse and a keyboard, a music player, a video camera, a photo camera, a games arcade, a music creation station, a time shifting wonder, a video conferencing tool, a flashlight, a compass, a map of the world, a fart machine, Sam Jackson, a social HUB, a weather person, a movie maker, my secretary, an email and text keeper, a stock ticker, a fireplace, a calculator, a calendar, a memo keeper, an appointment specialist, an alarm clock and the best thing I spent $150 ON IN A LONG TIME.

Wait for the dock. It then will be my desktop computer that goes where I go. Email one location, Word, Excel, Pdf, best browser out there, removable storage device for backup, besides BB Protect etc. When Heins said mobile computing, he wasn't kidding. The Z10 is the world's smallest computer. That what no one gets. It is a full blown OS, not a cut down version of your windows or mac.

One other thing that I think that I think you should have shown/touched on is the Typing experience on﻿ the BlackBerry Z10. It's hands down the best Touchscreen Keyboard on the market today. The swiping of the suggested words is simply amazing!

I made the switch from Iphone to the Z10. At first I was a bit skeptical, but I'm a happy camper now. I love the BB10 OS. It's so fluid, the keyboard is amazing and the browser is quick. I'm not a big App user, but I do miss a couple that are not available on the Z10. Both Yahoo apps actually - Yahoo Finance and Yahoo Fantasy hockey. Found a decent substitute for Finance.

Have either of you tried sideloading the android apps? I know Yahoo Fantasy hockey works great on my PlayBook and ok on my Z10, its lacking in the screen real estate that the PlayBook has, works fine otherwise. Haven't tried Yahoo Finance yet but I'm pretty sure I've seen it converted somewhere around here.

It's a good thing I found it because Yahoo! has shifted their focus away from BlackBerry and onto smartphones.

I did some more digging and it just so happens there are literally millions of other good app substitutes on this thing invented by Al Gore called "the internet." The Z10 comes preloaded with a "Browser" app that is like a magic portal to this... Thing? Place? What is it?! With the Z10 you can enjoy whatever it is in all its glory, but fair warning: be prepared to have your mind blown.

I have a substitute too...they call them Bookmarks....you know...on a browser? The only reason "apps" ever started was because of Apple's 3rd grade temper tantrum over Flash. Apps were their "workaround"
I completely get the need for some apps, but others are just basically bookmark launchers from a home screen.

I'm waiting on Instagram, whatsapp, and google+/services before selling my iPhone 5, gotta say I fell in love with my z10 within the first 5 seconds. And knew how to use it from watching video's. hence no learning curve people speak about.

That "Learning Curve" stuff is a bunch of BS. There are only 4 Gestures technically. I mean, c'mon, really!? Yet we look at things like Mission Impossible and want to get excited? NO BUTTONS PEOPLE!!! "THE NEXT BIG THING" has TRULY arrived.

Well balanced and concise. There should be a way for you guys to put your articles in the mainstream US media where people are deliberately misinformed by reporters who did shoddy or biased comparison. You may need to buy spaces because I don't know how many people in the States will read yours when New York Times reporter would have done their 'work'.

No, likely no conspiracy theory but If you don't think reporters are subject to bias you live in lulu land. Because of this bias people don't get the right information about the phone. The general public will not know that you can sideload instagram on the Z10 they will just be told the apps aren't available.

Take the Ian Austin article in the NYT, and ask what was the point of it (we already know it had no bearing on reality) and ask why after he wrote there were no people in the Bell store he wrote that there were 20 people in the Apple Store.

Does the Apple store only sell iPhones? No. Does the Bell Store sell iPhones? Yes. Either way there is no informational content in the fact that there were 20 people in the Apple store. The intended point, of course, was that people must value iPhones over the Z10. Even if you beleive that is true, there is no point in putting the number of people in the Apple store unless they were all buying iPhones (they likely were not).

You my friend understand how the media works. By no means is it 100% the medias fault BlackBerry is in the situation they are in. Media however does play a role in the type of information people get; it's even more dangerous when we live in a world of instant gratification. People would rather jsut take what they are told as fact, and not do their own research. More dangerously, we have people spread lies for absolutely no reason- people with no stock in apple will purposely bad mouth BlackBerry/WP8.

These days facts are pretty much irrelevant- people make up their minds and thats what they stick with.

Purposeful and deliberate? Nah, not at first. But to think all of the negative coverage and rehashing of the SAME 'news' over and over and over again didn't have an effect on the company is ridiculous. Never at any point did RIM (at the time) say that they were running out of money, losing subscribers (worldwide, not just the US), or closing up shop, but if you went into a carrier store in the US, the associates would tell you not to buy a BlackBerry because they are going out of business. They didn't come up with that conclusion on their own; they read it online.

Now, I think it's starting to get deliberate. As BBRY addresses all of the concerns, one issue at a time, bloggers and 'analysts' cling to every little negative they can find. They jump from one negative to the next.

Well,
BlackBerry's have terrible browsers - FIXED
Yeah, but
BlackBerry hardware is outdated - FIXED
Still,
BlackBerry OS has memory leaks and crashes - FIXED
But,
BlackBerry is hard to develop for - FIXED
And
Developers don't want to support BlackBerry - FIXED
Don't forget
BlackBerry doesn't have a large number of apps - FIXED
That's fine but
BlackBerry doesn't have a couple of the big name apps - IN PROGRESS

This week, they made a huge deal out of Home Depot switching to iPhone from BlackBerry. First, that was old news. Second, they aren't even buying the most recent iPhone, they're getting the 4S. Third, 10k handsets is 0.0126% of BBRY's subscriber base. Yes, just over 1/100th of a percent. That's like trading in a coupon for cash value. Yes every little bit hurts, but let's be real. Would analysts write a story about Kimberly Clark losing a deal with the Staples Center in Los Angeles if they decided to get their paper towels from Georgia Pacific instead? No. If they lost that same deal with all of the government offices for the entire state of California, THAT would be news. Yet, here we are, discussing a decision made months ago because it adds to the doom and gloom theory about BlackBerry that's getting harder to support by the day.

I'm not naive enough to say that BlackBerry has got smooth sailing ahead of them, but things would be a lot easier if the media started engaging in real journalism. The new platform has plenty of flaws, chronicled in great detail right here on this very website, yet none of those flaws are even mentioned in articles on Forbes, Seeking Alpha, The Street, Motley Fool, AllThingsD, etc... Right now they all steadily beat the Apps drum and it's getting really old, really fast.

Agreed! Nice rant! You missed the part about the Home Depot "abandoning", "ditching", "dropping" and "dumping" BlackBerry in favor of 10,000 iPhones for managers and corporate staff... but that decision has no effect on the other 60,000 smartphones used by the majority of their employees who work in retail stores. The headline could have just as easily been "Home Depot Passes on Apple for the Majority of Staff, Sees No Need to Change, Remains Loyal/Committed/Devoted to what is Working."

-> This should read - "In Progress" or "Delayed"
The hardware is still very much behind the competition in every
measurable respect respect. It doesn't hold a candle to late 2012
phones let alone what we will see this year

BlackBerry OS has memory leaks and crashes - FIXED

-> This should read - "In Progress"
It's almost fixed, but apps still lock up preventing access to the
rest of the system. Mostly the clock app. Nothing I'm sure 10.1
won't fix

BlackBerry doesn't have a large number of apps - FIXED

-> This should read - "Not even close"
The current state of BlackBerry World doesn't even match the 90K
apps in App world for OS 7 and older devices and I'd say at most
only half of the 30K Playbook apps have been ported. Long way yet
to go but not to discredit the hard work as things get better every
day and I have faith that this will improve dramatically

I would have to disagree with the icloud statement not syncing well. It setup flawlessly on mine. I have two way sync with z10 and icloud with calendars (i use 5 different calendars) and contacts. The only problem is how icloud servers setup folders for emails and only being able to see 30 days of emails. I will explain the folder issue below.

When I setup imap, icloud created two new folders not visible from the icloud web app or mail.app in osx. These folders are "sent messages" and "deleted messages". These folder are your 'sent' mailbox and 'trash' mailbox in the icloud web app and mail.app for osx.

On the z10 you will have a 'sent' folder and 'Trash' folder as well as the 'sent messages' folder and 'deleted messages' folder. When you send an email from the z10 it puts it in the 'sent' folder and is not visible from the icloud web app or mail.app for osx. You will have to move the email from the 'sent' folder to the 'sent messages' folder to make it visible in the sent mailbox within the web app and mail.app.

When deleting an email, if you just delete the email, it is gone forever, can never get it back (a downfall to imap). Instead what I do is I move the emails I want to delete into the 'deleted messages' folder and it will show up in my trash mailbox in the icloud web app and mail.app for osx.

It would be nice if you could change the folder the z10 saves your sent emails to as well as change the way the z10 handles deleting messages.

Maybe your eye can't but that doesn't mean we should stand still on making improvements. Better is better. Technology moves forward. Don't get stuck back there complaining about it, come along for the ride!

Are you really able to get the BB10's for $120-$150 in the UK?
One of the other BB10 articles I read today stated that they will only be introducing the "premium price point" phones this year -- the Z10 and Q10, I believe. And I did not get the impression that premium was anywhere near $200, let alone in the $100-$150 range.

If Blackberry is hoping to regain market share I'm surprised that they are only going for the top price points. As much as I love my old Berry 8330, I'm not looking to spend $500 for a new phone right now. Then again, it does sound like a great device... sigh....

I'm happy to see BlackBerry actually putting something out there & might actually compete with Apple & Samsung. To be fair the Boldest (pardon the pun) move that was made was ditching the keyboard (I know this will arrive again soon) because as impress as BlackBerry keyboards are they really don't appeal to the masses & there's no denying that in a world filled with social media, video, gaming, web browsing etc etc on a mobile touch screen is the way forward. The main thing that will let BlackBerry down is the App Store & after the dust settles I really believe this could be the downfall for BB10 devices. I hope I'm wrong because I still have a softspot for blackberry & still carry a Bold 9790 but its really on for a second phone line because its a small phone to text & receive calls on. But since I moved full time to iPhone 2 year ago I've never looked back but the Z10 looks a really nice phone & I hope it's a hit.

So ah...Adam. When will we have an article titled "so your looking to upgrade your current blackberrry to a BB10 device in the US...here's what you need to know." Its hard to even come on crackberry as of late. I'm not pissed or even impatient but by the time we get the device I'll have to look up all these how to's. I'm not bitter about it. But it is. Borderline depressing.

Anybody interested in getting the Z10 ahead of schedule and can afford to pay $1,000 for the phone should go to Solavei (www.solavei.com). They have a $49 a month non-contract plan right now. On the website, hover over "Mobile Service" and click on "Buy a phone". Of course you can just buy the phone and skedaddle since it's unlocked.

I wish people will quit bellyaching about U.S. availability dates. Thorsten has said since the keynote last year that the U.S. would have availability after the other countries mentioned. It has been known for a long time. shut up already.

Features like the time shift camera,BBM video with screen sharing, BlackBerry Remember, mini hdmi output,NfC capability, DLNA capability are all features that separate BB10 from iOS. I made the switch...its way better to be Back in Black!

You guys MIGHT want to edit the video...Kevin CLEARLY shows his PIN in the vid when he goes into BBM...I'll respect him enough not to just add him out of the blue but others may not be so nice...Just a thought.

look guys im jus a simple blackberry crack addict who is tired of all the" hoopla".even tho it sucks and i hav to wait another few weeks for the US carriers get it right ! i jus want everyone involve to shine! !blackberry fell off big time, n i think frm apple to android to windows are scared they might pull this off n take # 1 again! i'll b honest wit u guys... i F@$kin hate iphones....android...hmmmmm!!! even wit all the jokes ive been thu for having a blackberry!!!! im sticking wit them!

Anybody interested in getting the Z10 ahead of schedule and can afford to pay $1,000 for the phone should go to Solavei (www.solavei.com). They have a $49 a month non-contract plan right now. On the website, hover over "Mobile Service" and click on "Buy a phone". Of course you can just buy the phone and skedaddle since it's unlocked.

Have played around with z10, was thinking of taking the leap back to bb... But sadly I will hang onto my iphone 4s a while longer. What turns me off is a few things... Example, The iphone has auto dim, yet is still brighter.. Very much so I will add. Also, white is white... Z10 suffers from a yellow screen which all the z10's ive encountered and reviews say the same (put iphone beside z10, see for youself) Which seems to throw off accuracy of colors. Battery life, on the iphone is same.. Or better... Considering the iphone screen is brighter. I can only imagine if auto dim switch is added to z10 os... How fast will these batteries will drain? Also Banking apps etc? Regardless, the z10 o.s needs some fine tunning... So does the screen displays these phones are equiped with... Until then... Will hang onto my iphone a while longer

is really great, and its model shape is very attractive and I expect this to be minimalist trend hp in 2013 I hope to have his possible if God gave me a miracle .. This truly luxurious and beautiful surely everyone wants it.

I'd like to switch from a torch to a Z10, but since I'm from the home of the free I cannot. I just have to wait till.......................WHO THE F KNOWS! at least give us a date. I could not imagine loving BB more, even have stock, but feel like giving up the ghost. end rant.

It's quite simple, Canada and the UK are the guinea pigs for the US, you guys find all the bugs, Blackberry corrects them, and we get the perfect Blackberry! Don't slam me, I'm just kidding, lol. I am one of the many that wants to make the switch from my iPhone 4S so I can stop carrying around both a 9900 and an iPhone, so Adam's article was a great education for me. Thanks's Adam! You may all now continue with the needless arguing that has nothing to do with Adam's review. ;o)

I switched from an iPhone to the BB9900 over a year ago as I wanted a "proper phone" rather than a very good media device, for me the 9900 has better call retention and clarity as well as superb Email & messaging capabilities topped off by a super fast BBM capability all in a good body with a fantastic Qwerty keyboard so for me it is a no brainer.

I will however be holding out to wait and see what the Q10 is like in the flesh as what I have seen so far looks very appealing and solid - I did handle a Z10 in a shop the other day and it felt very light and not sure if the frame is plastic or metal?

The Z10 was crafted to fill Blackberry's niche to compete with the Apple and Android form factor phone (candy bar). An all touch Blackberry (to me, and this is my opinion) would not be enough of a factor to go back to Blackberry from Android (Galaxy S3). It has always been about the QWERTY keypad, the Bold 9000 and 9900 both felt like a solid device! Those were quintessential Blackberry devices! Personally, if the Q10 is anything like its predecessors (in terms of the keypad style) then I'm on board.

Right now I'm waiting to see how things pan out for the Z10 in terms of apps/software updates, etc. Most of us are not in the advantageous position of the Crackberry.com staff who are able to examine the entire catalogue of Blackberry devices as they arrive. Those that have switched or remain Blackberry purists all the best to you! For myself, I'm going to wait and see the Q10. I've had pretty much every Blackberry device from the 7200 to the 9900 at some point but I've never really appreciated the keypad until it's gone - starting to get that inch again :)

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and thanks CB for posting a wealth of information regarding the Z10, BB10, and all other relevant topics.

if anyone gets down this far, maybe BB is just looking at the global population and getting a phone in the hands as many ANYWHERE. You can lose large markets and still do pretty well. If they lose Japan and the US, there is still a lot of people who need a new phone that can be localized for them.

Honestly, I wouldn't even want to upgrade from BB7. The reason is, there was nothing wrong with the user interface on BB7. The only beef anyone could have had was the constant problems with freezing and app development which has been dealt with on the new OS. They could have maintained the interface. But, BB completely went straight for an iPhone clone + flow interface. I am really not liking it. I hate the idea that there are no buttons. I preferred pop up menus and tray that I can just slide down. I prefer the trackpad because it allows for detailed movement on the screen. Now when one wants to navigate, they're constantly having to slide the phone up and down to hit links whereas with the trackpad, phone never has to leave my hands positioning.

Currently, I have the 9860. I can say that I hate it. I hate all-touch. PERIOD. I want a keyboard. Touch screen-only is NOT the future unless you're into light use and games. I'm a heavy user and I have a gaming laptop for games and a tv for movies. I don't care about these Atari2600 games/apps with updated graphics. I'm not sold on fun like a typical iPhone or Android user. My phone doesn't need to also be my "gameboy".

Sorry, but when it comes to the Z10, I can't just go with the flow. I'm thrown off by the iPhone. But, I am waiting for the Q10. I'll play with that for a while to see if I like how it operates. As it stands, I might just save my money and "upgrade" to a 9900 for a penny.

Then, what pisses me off even more is that the last update to BB7 has turned my Torch into a phone that acts more like a paperweight. I've had this phone for over a year now. In that time, I haven't seen that clock spin more than I had in the first week of the update. Phone was solid. I feel like it's a hit job to force people to upgrade to BB10. Conspiracy much? I know. But, as it stands, WP8 is a good contender. I don't care about apps! I care about utility, versatility, and functionality. BB has diminished themselves in that area trying to chase iPhone users. YUCK.

I haven't got the z10 yet but thinking about it. Currently have the playbook and enjoy using it. I had no issues hooking up iCloud, email, address book to the playbook and assumed it would be the same for z10... But the article seems to indicate a need to drop iCloud.....is this really the case? Doesn't seem to make sense considering the playbook cold so easily hook up to iCloud.

With the way the Z10 is designed from my perspective there is no need for a home button or home screen. There is no need for an email box icon. The sliding panels and the HUB does the job very well.

I am amazed at the performance of the Z10, and how it works. It took me a few days to get used to the navigation. It works very much like a mini tablet. I can navigate through it very fast and easy to anything I want to do.

A very impressive part of the Z10 is the text writing, especially for doing emails. The keyboard works like it is intelligent. The predictive spelling is so amazing it is frightening! (expressively speaking...) I like how the custom dictionary and the word substitution works. I did some customization with some of the ways I spell specific expressive and profound words. The design is extremely well done.

I am considering switching to Blackberry after being a longtime iPhone owner. I have been looking into the Q10.

My main question is regarding security with email. I have a couple of gmail accounts and an old yahoo account - I realize that they are not secure at all. What i am wondering is how do I set up a native email on blackberry that is secure and how does that email look? For ex: is it something like me@blackberry.com? Or what is it like? I appreciate any help and sorry if this is a basic question!

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